.45 long colt mold suggestions

[Wolfdog91]

So got a older contender with a .410/.45lc barrel waiting on the layaway rack at the new shop in town. It's a little right but for the price count pass it up since I've been looking for one for a while. Now just gotta find a 7-30 water barrel ....but anyhow.

Think casting for the .45lc would be fun but need some recommendations on a mold. Deal is I'm a little picky and would like a ROUNDED nose profile with a hp being optional. Any recommendations? Most mold for .45lc seem to have a big flat meplate and honestly that just not my cup of tea. Why ? I'm weird lol.

So yeah recommendations?

[Harter66]

The Lee 452-255 was kind of a let down for me . I had really hoped that it would be more like the 358-158 . That general rnfp profile is generic to the .451 dia.

[Barry54]

I think of mine primarily as a 410 and 45 Colt about once every five years. There’s a LONG jump from the 45 case mouth to the start of the rifling beginning.

Wolfdog91, What kind of boolit do you think would be best for that 1.5” long passage of freebore?

Now there’s some neat 410 buckshot loads in the BPI manual. 1, 2, or 3 000 pellets in 2-1/2 inch shells. Five pellets in 3” hulls.

You said old Contender. Is the bottom of the pistol grip metal or plastic? Was there a rubber recoil strip on the back or is it an all wood grip?

[Barry54]

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...82#post5767882

This listing is days away from falling off. I’d consider this if I was just starting a Contender collection.

[pworley1]

My go to 45 long colt mold has always been the 454190. It doesn't check all your boxes, but I think that you will like it if you give it a try.

[lightman]

I shoot the 255 grain Keith Type SWC in mine.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

a long time ago, one of the first molds I bought was a used Lee TL452-230TC (I still have it).
Now-a-days, it's probably the last mold I would buy for 45 colt, But this one has worked out well, so I'm glad I happened upon it, before I became biased against Lee's TL molds.
My Mold drops them a wee bit heavy, at 240gr with a range scrap alloy (9-10 BHN).

https://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-tl452-230tc

[quilbilly]

I've had one of those barrels in stainless for at least 20 years. I call it my "dinner gun" using the .410 with the choke installed because it has produced so many grouse and rabbits. I rarely use the .45 colt option because I don't want to go to the trouble of removing the choke plus it doesn't eject the 45 cases consistently.
The sights are pretty rudimentary for the 45 colt which shoots consistently to the left about 6" at 20 yards. I have used two of the Lee molds for my 45 Colt ammunition, the 200 gr RF (drops at 215 gr.) and the 255 gr RF (drops at 262 gr). Both seem to work the same in the T/C barrel. Accuracy doesn't compare with either mi 45 Colt Blackhawk or my Henry lever. All that being said, my T/C with the 45/410 barrel is never far from my side in the fall months during hunting season. With the 410's and #6 shot, it is deadly on grouse to 20+ yards and rabbits to at least 15 yards. With 0/0 buck, the shot will stay on a dinner plate at 12-15 yards which surprised me. Suggestion - If you can't find that 7/30 Waters barrel, don't turn down a 7mm TCU.

[Sandspider500]

The mp Ruger only works well, and comes with options for hollow points. You won't be limited in the OAL so it can be loaded long in the lube groove if you want for close to 1.9 oal. Not sure if you're chamber will allow, but you could also get some magtech 410 brass and load 45 bullets in those.


Here's a 410 brass shell on the left loaded with the mp Ruger only hollow point, oal is 2.93 they're 306gr with a gas check. It's crimped in the lube groove with a lee 45 acp taper crimp die. On the right is a 45 colt with a mp 454-640, which is also a good one that comes with the same hollow point options.


Description: 45 super long mp ruger only and nei 310 swc
Notes 1: 12gr mp194
Notes 2: Ruger only 2.93 oal nei swc 2.9 oal
Distance to Chrono (FT): 10.00
Ballistic Coefficient: 1.000
Bullet Weight (gr): 306.000
Altitude (FT): 0.0
Temp: N/A
BP: N/A
Shots
# FPS FT-LBS PF
11 1119 850.94 342.41
10 1153 903.43 352.82
9 1133 872.36 346.70
8 1154 905.00 353.12
7 1134 873.90 347.00
6 1132 870.82 346.39
5 1128 864.68 345.17
4 1149 897.17 351.59
3 1122 855.51 343.33
2 1104 828.28 337.82
1 1179 944.64 360.77
Average: 1137.00
StdDev: 20.55
Min: 1104
Max: 1179
Spread: 75
True MV: 1138.29

[jimb16]

For a round nose design for a .45 Colt in a contender, any RN bullet for the .45 auto would work just fine. The flat nose design was meant for the lever action rifle where the long nose would cause feeding problems You don't have that issue with a contender barrel. I have one myself and any old .45 bullet works just fine.

[lar45]

I have bought a couple of 45Colt marked Contender barrels, but when they show up someone has reamed them for 410
That is a long jump to the rifling.
I read about the 45 Mongo years ago. 444 Marlin case necked up to 45Cal and shot in the 45/410 Contender. It will not chamber in mine. Don't know if it was reamed out or what???

One of these days I will find a 45Colt only barrel.

[35 Rem]

It's been discontinued but if you could find a used RCBS 45-250-FN you might like it. It is a round nose with a tiny flat that looks like it could have been used in original 45 Colt ammo. I used it exclusively for 45 Colt for years in my Uberti SAA's.

[405grain]

I still have one of the old RCBS 45-250-FN molds from back in the days when I had a Colt New Service in 45 LC. Super nice pistol, but I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it. This was back when I was younger and a lot dumber than I am today. I traded that pistol off for a Ruger in 357 magnum. Years later I discovered that those older 45 Colts had a .454" bore diameter, and I had been shooting .452" bullets through it. No wonder it didn't group well. Anyway, I concur with 35 Rem, if you can find one of these RCBS molds it might be what you're looking for. I'm going to give my mold a second chance in life by seeing how it'll do for making practice rounds in a 450 Bushmaster.

[LenH]

I am partial to the old Keith SWC. But I have so many molds for .45 Colt, it gets confusing.

[justindad]

The NOE 454-237-RN gives me very good accuracy in the .45LC. The OACL is long, but works fine in my Uberti SAA.

[greenjoytj]

Accurate Molds # 45-260F. I cast some yesterday and more today they weigh 264gr with RotoMetals 20:1 lead:tin alloy.
I still struggle with getting stable consistent drop weights. I believe stable furnace and mold temperature is the key.
I purchased a 4 cavity aluminum mold, I wish It was a 3 cavity iron mold because I had faster more immediate success with my Lyman #452664 a great 4 cavity iron mold. My complaint with the Lyman bullet from this mold is it makes a bevel base bullet.
The bevel base loaded easily but lubing it took a little more time to clean lube from the bevel edge, not a problem really.
The Lyman bullet worked great in my 5.5” barrel revolvers at 900 fps but I’m still not sure it was the best bullet for accuracy from my rifle at 1240 fps. It did carry enough homemade lube for a 24” rifle barrel.

My first 45 cal cast bullet was the LEE .452”-255 gr. - RFNF. The LEE bullet worked great in the revolver but did not carry enough lube for the long rifle barrel particularly if I loaded black powder.
All the above bullets are round nose flat points with wide meplats. The wide flat nose delivers a great smack down.
I doubt any cast hollow point bullet will reliably expand at handgun muzzle velocity with 20:1 alloy maybe they will if cast with pure lead but that introduces mold fill out issues.

[Barry54]

These are 20:1 deep hollow points cast from a NOE mold and fired from a 45 ACP. They expanded well. Plus he can load up close to 44 magnum power using Ruger/TC load data in his Thompson Center Contender.

Where are you Wolfdog91?

Are you sure it’s a 45/410 chamber?

What’s your plan for the jump through the 410 section of freebore? Have you found longer brass? Or just try it and see what kind of accuracy you get?

Many people got 45 Colt barrels cut to accept 410 but there are some survivors out there with an unmolested chamber.

[greenjoytj]

A deep hollow point is required, aka flying ashtrays.

[Larry Gibson]

I've a 10" octagon Contender barrel chambered in 45 Colt only. It has the same odd rounded rifling as the 410/45 Colt barrels. It still shoots very well with cast bullets ranging from 185 gr up through 270 gr. All were sized at .452 as if sized large they would not chamber when seated in W-W or R-P cases. It also has a straight sided chamber requiring FL sizing in a Carbide die. Cases fired in my SAs or '73 rifle and sized in a steel sizer (RCBS) which sized to the chamber spec taper will not chamber either.

[Green Frog]

I never really developed an accuracy load for my 45-410 TC barrel before I lost interest and traded it off for the next shiny thing. But being older and more experienced (if not wiser ) I would start today as many have suggested, with the classic Lyman mould designed by Keith, the 454242. That fat nose should help it “rattle” less in your long freebore.
For best accuracy I’d look long and hard at Sandspider500’s idea of buying some brass 410 cases, keeping in mind that you don’t want to fill the long case with powder! A box of 25 of those from MagTech will last a loooong time!
Froggie